GET OUT THE VIOLIN: Florida woman grieving about $5 million lottery win

Jan 16, 2015, 11:51 am (69 comments)

Mega Millions

Four Central Florida people joined the ranks of the nouveau riche this week when each cashed a winning lottery ticket, including two who became overnight millionaires.

But the biggest winner in the group, an Orlando nursing assistant who claimed a $5 million Mega Millions prize in Tallahassee, confided that she felt poorer spiritually.

"I'm a Christian. I don't gamble," said Fay Blake, 62. "Spiritually, it bothers me."

The Florida Lottery paid Blake $3,750,000 — her winnings minus taxes — and sent out a news release Thursday about her good fortune, though she pleaded with the agency to neither photograph her nor identify her. The photo is optional, but identification is not, Florida Lottery spokeswoman Shelly Gerteisen said.

Lottery winners cannot remain anonymous because some people, notably lottery employees themselves, are not allowed to play.

Blake said she had hoped to avoid publicity about her winnings for fear of shaming her church.

"I love my church, and I love my church family," she said.

Blake said her pastor has preached against gambling, and she usually takes his sermons to heart. But "impulse" led her to the lottery terminal at Publix on Edgewater Drive, she said. There was no line when she approached the kiosk with $1 and chose Quick Pick, an option in which a computer selects the numbers to play.

Her ticket matched five of the white-ball numbers in the televised Jan. 9 drawing, which would have earned a jackpot of $221 million if Blake's entry also would have matched the so-called yellow "Mega Ball." She won a $5 million consolation prize instead of $1 million because she plopped down an extra dollar for the "Megaplier."

Blake said she was uncertain how she would explain her moment of weakness to her pastor.

She was so conflicted Thursday that she initially told a reporter she had redeemed the winning ticket for somebody else who offered her a share of the prize. But she later acknowledged buying the ticket after learning that such an arrangement would be unlawful. A lottery investigator, she said, also called her to make sure the ticket was hers.

"I should be happy, but it's causing me grief," she said. "My heart is going so crazy."

Blake, who is married with children, also said she did not have immediate plans for her windfall and hoped to keep working as a nursing assistant, calling it "my joy."

"I live a quiet life, and I try to do things for people," she said.

Lottery officials identified other area winners as Thomas Halstead, 72, of Daytona Beach and J . Pascual Villazano, 48, of DeLand.

Halstead won $1 million in the lottery's "100X The Cash Scratch-Off," which costs $25 a ticket. He opted for a one-time, lump-sum payment of $781,174.44.

Villazano claimed the $500,000 top prize in the "Money Multiplier Scratch-Off," which costs $5 a ticket. He bought his winner at the Discount Market on West Euclid Avenue in DeLand.

Lottery officials said an Ocoee man also claimed a $3 million prize in a scratch-off game Thursday, but they could not announce his identity or other details because they had not yet completed his paperwork.

Orlando Sentinel, Lottery Post Staff

Comments

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

She can donate this money to Habitat For Humanity. A worthy cause if I ever saw one

LottoMetro's avatarLottoMetro

"Blake said she was uncertain how she would explain her moment of weakness to her pastor."

Oh, I'm sure that he will understand. Wink You will be quickly forgiven! Group Hug

Green laugh

Sidenote: She has a problem with gambling, but not lying??

Dead_Aim's avatarDead_Aim

Fear not little ole church lady, you wouldn't have beat those incredible odds if there wasn't some kind of devine intervention anyway. And your pastor will get over it just as soon as you tithe. If you feel that guilty about it, I am sure the money is in good hands to do great things. Life is good! Life with money is better!

hearsetrax's avatarhearsetrax

Quote: Originally posted by LottoMetro on Jan 16, 2015

"Blake said she was uncertain how she would explain her moment of weakness to her pastor."

Oh, I'm sure that he will understand. Wink You will be quickly forgiven! Group Hug

Green laugh

Sidenote: She has a problem with gambling, but not lying??

haymaker's avatarhaymaker

Fear of shaming her church ?

is it a museum for saints ?

or a hospital for sinners ?

joshuacloak's avatarjoshuacloak

She Wins millions of dollars , and yet she all like.......

Some people can't help it, they just need to create problems for themselves.

GYM RICE

Don't worry little old church lady. Your Pastor will tell you exactly how much you should give to him and his church to make your sin all better. Hint, it won't be a one time payment.

Todd's avatarTodd

The thing that bugs me is that it's not "anti-Christianity" to gamble.  This lady is all distraught over nothing.

If a pastor wants to rail against gambling in his sermon, then that's the pastor's opinion, not the Word of God.  Nowhere in the Bible does it say anything about gambling being morally wrong.  In fact, quite the opposite: the Bible makes mention of lotteries, as a simple statement of fact.

ThatScaryChick's avatarThatScaryChick

There is an obvious solution to this woman's problem. If she hates that she won so bad she can give all her money away. Problem solved. Roll Eyes

surimaribo24's avatarsurimaribo24

lady get a bottle of jack and that will pop ur brains out to think out side the box . grief yeh ok . 

LottoVantage

"Life" is a gamble. Say you are forced to take a new job in another state. You have to disconnect from family and friends. You have unmeasurable costs moving and relocating everything. There is no guarantee how secure this move will be. Will you be judged for "gambling" on this new financial opportunity? I think not...

Long Odds

Oh my how people torture themselves. we all fall short of the glory. no rookie to playing, however, as she new about the old megaplier for an extra buck!

mikeintexas's avatarmikeintexas

Quote: Originally posted by Todd on Jan 16, 2015

The thing that bugs me is that it's not "anti-Christianity" to gamble.  This lady is all distraught over nothing.

If a pastor wants to rail against gambling in his sermon, then that's the pastor's opinion, not the Word of God.  Nowhere in the Bible does it say anything about gambling being morally wrong.  In fact, quite the opposite: the Bible makes mention of lotteries, as a simple statement of fact.

Exactly!  I read this after you posted it and have been looking to see what the Bible says against gambling and I couldn't find anything except about lotteries. (casting "lots") There are the verses cautioning against loving money and trying to get rich quick, but...

We gamble every day of our lives- people are gambling with their investments, particularly in the stock market;  many gamble that they can beat that yellow light at the intersection and people in high risk jobs gamble with their lives.  I suppose someone could argue semantics on those things, but any risk one takes is a gamble.  Sometimes you can lose more than money.

I'm not an expert on religious matters, but I think if there's a sin to gambling (or drinking or most other "vices") it's when someone does it to the detriment of their family, i.e. takes food out of their mouths or causes harm to others by what they're doing.

music*'s avatarmusic*

Patriot  No one is perfect except God. We all make mistakes. Be forgiving to yourself and others. God loves you !  DanceGood Luck to you Faye Blake on tonight's Mega Millions.

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